Queens students rediscover ham radio, learning old-school communication skills

In a city wired for constant connection, a group of students in Queens is turning to one of the oldest forms of wireless communication. At Garden School in Jackson Heights, the amateur radio club is teaching teens and younger students how ham radio works, a method that CBS News described as popular 70 years ago and one that still has a place when modern systems break down.

The Garden School Amateur Radio Club began in September 2016 as a way to implement STEM standards, and it quickly became more than a classroom project. An ARRL club listing said the group had 13 members ranging from 4th graders to 12th graders. A later school club page said membership grew to 52, including teachers, parents and extended family, showing how the project spread beyond the school day and into the larger community.

The club is affiliated with the American Radio Relay League, the national association for amateur radio, which links operators across the country with news, information and resources. Garden School also received radio equipment through a donation involving the New York Hall of Science radio club, giving students the gear to practice on real equipment instead of only reading about radio theory. That hands-on approach gives the club a technical edge at a time when schools are under pressure to build practical STEM skills alongside standard coursework.

Ham radio’s appeal is not nostalgia alone. The Federal Communications Commission requires a license to operate an amateur station, and the three main license classes are Technician, General and Amateur Extra. For the entry-level Technician license, Morse code is not required, lowering the barrier for new operators while still demanding technical knowledge and discipline. Amateur radio also retains a strong emergency role. The Amateur Radio Emergency Service was formed in 1935, and the field has long been used for public service communications when other networks fail.

Garden School’s club showed that value in 2017, when it relayed messages to help families reach loved ones in Puerto Rico after storm damage disrupted communications. For students raised on smartphones and apps, the lesson is clear: old infrastructure can still be a vital tool, and learning how to use it can become part of community resilience as much as a science project.